1- VALUE THE BALL. The Bobcats are 10th in the league in turnover ratio and this will likely be the most important category for them tonight due to Miami’s ability to turn turnovers into easy baskets. Right?

Dakota: Absolutely. Just that duo of LeBron and Wade strike fear in the hearts of many teams when it comes to transition defense. While Charlotte’s transition defense has been more than solid since the start of the season, clean offensive execution should still be the #1 priority for this team.

Greg: Yep. The Heat have been very good at converting those opportunities: 18.1 percent of their points came off of turnovers last year, which was good for sixth-highest in the league. That’s fallen off a little this year, but it’s not like the personnel they have has shifted too much. The Bobcats will also have to be very aware of Miami’s three-point shooters. While Charlotte’s done a decent job of defending the moneyball so far (17th in opponent attempts and makes, 13th in opponent accuracy), Miami will test that. The Heat are shooting 44.1 percent from downtown this season.

2- LEBRON. He’s shooting 61% from the field and scoring 27/game. How would you attack guarding him tonight if you’re Clifford and how many different defensive looks do you throw at James?

Dakota: There’s really no way at all to flat out stop LeBron on the offensive end. You would think that Clifford would try to throw MKG on LeBron during the game which should be an extremely interesting defensive matchup. When LeBron is working through the paint in post-ups, it shouldn’t be out of the question for Bismack Biyombo or Jefferson on him to help with that abundant load.

Greg: Defending LeBron will always be a team effort, but I’m very interested in seeing what MKG can do against him. Kidd-Gilchrist’s versatility will help here — according to MySynergySports.com, opponents are only shooting 39 percent against him in post-up situations. That’s from a relatively small sample size, but it’s consistent with his numbers last year. If he’s able to harass LeBron into being more of a jumpshooter, that’s a win for Charlotte.

3- PICK IT. The NBA eyebrow will certainly rise if Charlotte could get a W at home against Miami tonight. Who ya got?

Dakota: This may sound heavily biased and somewhat idiotic but think that there’s a small chance for Charlotte to pull this one out at home. While the odds may be stacked against them, their defensive execution has been excellent this season which could lead into some transition baskets from MKG. Because of Miami’s minor issues in the front-court, Al Jefferson might be able to turn some more heads and lead this offense but there’s also the chance that he’ll throw it out to the perimeter which hasn’t been Charlotte’s biggest strength this season.

Greg: Miami. It’s been fun watching the Bobcats grit out wins over the past week, but their margin for error is still so thin. Catching the Heat on the second night of a back-to-back will help, and I’m expecting a sloppy game from both teams. That’s probably Charlotte’s best chance, so the uglier the better.